Police: Man admits setting Elizabeth Township house on fire

Ronald Burnheimer reportedly made a spur-of-the-moment decision following an argument with his wife via text messages.

An Elizabeth man told police a text-message argument with his wife became too much for him to deal with and led him to burn his house down early Sunday morning in Elizabeth Township.

Ronald Roy Burnheimer, 57, is charged with felony arson — endangering property after safely removing three dogs from the property before he poured gasoline everywhere and sparked the fire with a disposable lighter.

Blaine Hill firefighters responded to the blaze at the 203 Ross St. home, where flames and smoke were billowing from the windows.

A passerby saw the fire and called 911 about 1:45 a.m.

When police and firefighters arrived, there was heavy smoke pouring out of the residence that quickly became engulfed in flames.

Neighbors told police that no one was home at the time, but the home was occupied by a couple and their three dogs.

They told officers Dawn Murphy- Burnheimer was out of state visiting relatives and the man, later identified as Ronald Burnheimer, had left the area in his semi-truck.

Witnesses told police they were driving down the road when they saw a small fire on the porch and Ronald Burnheimer nearby.

They stopped to ask if he was OK, but he allegedly told the bystanders to “keep it moving” so they continued to drive to their home nearby, an affidavit of probable cause states.

Neighbors told police they heard an explosion about five minutes later and saw him drive away, the affidavit states.

While at the fire scene, police received a report from a 911 dispatcher who stated that Ronald Burnheimer called to report he had just set his house on fire. He told the 911 dispatcher he was inside his tractor-trailer, which was parked at Molnar’s Lounge in Forward Township, the affidavit states.

He was taken into custody without incident and agreed to answer police questions.

He told police he was having an argument over text with his wife and became “overwhelmed with emotions and decided to burn the house down.”

He explained that it wasn’t premeditated as he “decided to do it at the spur of the moment,” an affidavit of probable cause states.

Ronald Burnheimer told police he took a gasoline container down to the basement and began to “pour it everywhere.”

He tried to light it with a disposable lighter, but it wouldn’t catch so he went upstairs and poured gasoline in the doorway entrance near the front porch and successfully lighted it.

Ronald Burnheimer told police that after he set the fire he immediately regretted his actions, took the dogs and went to his truck.

He told officers that he “figured the police would be called so he would wait for their arrival to turn himself in,” but then thought officers would put his dogs in the pound if he was arrested so he called a family member to pick them up and claimed he was going out of town.

He told police that his family member met him down the street from the home and didn’t see the fire or know it had been set.

Ronald Burnheimer told police he drove to Molnar’s Lounge, where his trailer was parked and attached it to the truck so it would be convenient for his employer to pick up after his arrest.

A preliminary hearing is set for 1 p.m. Aug. 14 before Magisterial District Judge Beth S. Mills in Forward Township.

In addition to crews from Blaine Hill, Elizabeth Township Police and Fire Department, Lincoln Boro VFRC No. 1, Citizens Hose Co. No. 1 of Glassport Station 161, Clairton Volunteer Fire Department Station 123 and Elizabeth Boro V.F.C. and ETPD responded to the scene.

A GoFundme page was started Sunday by Stephanie McNutt of Jacksonville, N.C., who is Murphy-Burnheimer’s niece.

According to a post from the family, Murphy-Burnheimer was left with only the clothes she took with her on the trip in her backpack and the cash she brought with her.

She has expenses that include replacing her clothes, finding a place for her and her dogs and replacing her entire household.

As of press time, the GoFund-Me account had raised $1,865.

It can be found at https://www.gofundme. com/f/support-dawn-and-her-dogsin- their-recovery.